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SECTION 5: THE IMPACT
A high-functioning social care sector is not just a nice-to-have, it’s is a foundational requirement for human rights.
Whilst there is a compelling economic argument for investing in social care and fixing the workforce crisis, the moral one is clearly of equal standing.
This report has already highlighted the desperate situation in which many social care workers find themselves because of the low pay trap. Indirectly, this negatively impacts the very people who depend upon high-quality public services; providers find it harder to retain the best people, and even for those who remain, the stress caused by their financial situation can spill over into their effectiveness at work.
Our society is richer when all citizens can lead meaningful and independent lives. Social care is a rare instance of a societal challenge in which both the moral imperative and the economic case for change are mutually reinforcing.
And the impacts are not only felt within the confines of the social care sector.
According to the NHS Confederation in February 2022, an average of just 42.7% of patients medically fit to leave hospital were actually discharged each day. Most of the approximately 13,000 daily delayed discharges (around 400,000 per month) happened primarily because of a lack of social care provision into which they could be safely discharged.
From this one statistic, it is possible to appreciate the wild inefficiency of this system and the terrible impact on the affected individuals trapped at both ends of it. From the critically ill experiencing worsening health whilst awaiting treatment, to those unable to return to their home for want of adequate support – the individual human tragedies are growing in number.
But to categorise social care as just a means of enabling hospital discharges is to hugely underestimate its role in communities.
A lack of adult social care provision also means that the number of people waiting for social care is growing. According to a survey by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) there were 542,000 people waiting for assessments35, care packages, direct payments or reviews at the end of April
2022 – a 44% increase in less than six months.
The impact of this delay can be devastating for the individual, and also for their loved ones who are left isolated and experiencing significant personal, and often financial, pressures. In fact, Carers UK reports that a shocking 72%36 of carers state that they have experienced mental ill health as a result of their responsibilities.
The provision of sufficient social care would help alleviate many these issues. But without enough skilled people to provide that care, the future of both health and social care looks bleak.
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35. ADASS Survey: Waiting for Care April 2022
36. Carers UK State-of-Caring-Report-2018
“TO IMPROVE DISCHARGE THERE NEEDS TO BE GREATER, LONGER TERM, INVESTMENT IN SOCIAL CARE AND COMMUNITY CARE SERVICES. WORKFORCE CHALLENGES HAVE
A PARTICULAR IMPACT ON THE ABILITY TO DISCHARGE PATIENTS
TO OTHER SETTINGS.”
NHS Confederation
IN APRIL 2022, 542,000 PEOPLE WERE AWAITING SOCIAL CARE ASSESSMENTS, CARE PACKAGES DIRECT PAYMENTS OR REVIEWS – UP 44% IN JUST SIX MONTHS